TORONTO — An indigenous elder at the federal Liberal convention referenced Canada’s residential school system and the discovery of unproven “unmarked graves“ at a former school site during a presentation to attendees.The remarks included reference to the 2021 findings at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, where ground-penetrating radar identified what are believed to be 215 unmarked burial sites.The elder repeated the phrase “Every Child Matters,” which has been widely used across Canada following the discovery to acknowledge children who attended residential schools.The residential school system operated in Canada from the late 19th century until the 1990s. Funded by the federal government and administered primarily by churches, the system was designed to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society. Many children were separated from their families and restricted from speaking their languages or practicing cultural traditions. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded the system amounted to cultural genocide..The speaker’s comments on residential schools were part of a broader presentation that also included cultural teachings and references to indigenous perspectives on the natural world.
